It's the driver. The Leaf is a lot snappier than previous hatchbacks I've owned (a miserable Chevy Aveo, and a pretty decent Pontiac Vibe (aka Toyota Matrix)).

It's the driver. The Leaf is a lot snappier than previous hatchbacks I've owned (a miserable Chevy Aveo, and a pretty decent Pontiac Vibe (aka Toyota Matrix)). I'd peg it about the same as my wife's old Volvo S40 T5. The 0-40 is very spunky. Much more than your average car IMO. The only time it feels sluggish is highway (65mph+) passing, but even then not slow-er than your average non-turbo hatchback. Just back down to less thrilling levels.